Wednesday, 15 June 2016

Triple talaq
In tonight's panel discussion on Times Now channel at 10 p.m on the issue of triple talaq, I intend to say the following :
1. Law reflects social conditions of society at a particular stage of its historical development. As society changes, so also must the law. So a law like sharia which was made in the 7th and 8th century in Arabia, is clearly outdated today, like the Manusmriti, because society has changed.
2. Some say that sharia is the law made by Allah, and hence cannot be changed or abolished. This is nonsense and humbug. Sharia arose out of the feudal/tribal customs in the 7th or 8th century in Arabia.
3. Some say that if sharia is abolished Islam will cease to exist. This again is nonsense. The old Hindu law was abolished by Parliament by the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, Hindu Succession Act, 1956, etc. Did Hinduism cease to exist because of this ? Hindus still go to temples and do puja. So even if sharia is abolished, and a uniform civil code enacted, Muslims will still go to mosques and say namaz.
4. Lives of hundreds of innocent Muslim girls have been ruined by triple talaq. I have received a large number of facebook messages of such girls or their relatives.
5. Some say that triple talaq or talaq ul biddat ( which can be effected by saying 'talaq' thrice at one sitting ) is not permitted by Islam, and only talaq al ahsan ( in which 'talaq' is said once today, then again after a month, and thirdly after another month ) is permitted.
My reply to them is firstly, though talaq ul biddat is disapproved , it has been held to be valid by our law courts, and in fact is the most widespread method of talaq. Talaq al ahsan is rare, except among Shias, in whose law only talaq al ahsan is allowed,
Secondly, if you say talaq ul biddat is not allowed in Islam, then why do you oppose its abolition ? Is that not a contradictory stand ?
6. Some say that only a consensus in the Muslim community can abolish triple talaq. But this consensus will never be reached, because the reactionary, feudal minded Muslim clerics will never allow it, and they have a hold on the Muslim masses.
7. Ultimately it boils down to vote bank politics..